Trash Squad Day 3 - BINGO

[chinhotta]

Mornin', sweethearts! Shake off your morning dew, so to speak, and head on down to the auditorium!

[ When you reach the auditorium, the chinchillas are on stage with stacks of square sheets of paper almost as tall as they are. Once everyone's there, they start the announcement. ]

This next event's also a classic! But now that everyone's gotten to know each other a bit, this one will be about getting a little closer. Literally and figuratively. And! There will be fabulous prizes!

[ Vanilla tosses some of the papers in the air like they're confetti. They're pretty big, so it doesn't work very well... but as some of them drift down, you can see they are bingo cards. ]

...Okay, full disclosure, the prizes aren't actually that fabulous. But there are prizes! I hear some of you were looking for coffee? Meat? Some quality DVDs, if you know what I mean? For every bingo you get, you can get yourself something like that! Bingo-er's choice! Time to stock up on stuff to make that next date really special!

Oh, but! You can only count a person once! So get out there and mingle! You have all day for this one!

(Social bingo!
- Get a bingo card. You can randomize it until you get one you like! ICly characters can also rummage through cards until they find one they like!
- SCREENCAP YOUR CARD. The chinchillas are not responsible if you lose your card and have to find a new one.
- Go out and do stuff with people. You can do more than one thing with a person if you want options or it turns out you need a different square, but for all bingos you actually count you need a different person for every square.
- When you complete a bingo you can get a small and mundane prize from the chinchillas! Pound of coffee, couple of steaks, cookies, chocolate, a boombox, etc.
- Bingos are on the honor system. You don't need to submit them anywhere. Track them however you want, and if you complete one assume you get your prize offscreen unless you have questions.)

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TURN IN YOUR HOT OR NOTS AND DATE RATINGS by 6pm PST Thursday!

Comments

[artisticliberty]

[abruptly turns to look at shuichi]

But surely everyone who gets to know Akira feels this way? He has the sort of personality that draws others to him, after all. I cannot be the only one, surely.

[truthstranger]

[abruptly put on the spot, he flushes]

A-Ah, no, you're certainly not the only one. But there's a difference between that and everyone. And that... doesn't change what the feeling is.

[artisticliberty]

Oh.

[looks back at the ceiling. says nothing for a few moments, and then he starts chuckling]

Of course... why would I wish for such a thing with anyone else? It's so obvious.

[truthstranger]

Ah... mm. Depending on... what you want to do with the feeling, though...

[he trails off, not sure how to approach this]

[artisticliberty]

I haven't thought that far ahead yet. Oh... but... I think you're right. I think I am. I am... in love. How did I not realize it before now? For millennia, artists have painted for love, from love, to love... they have expressed a passion so intense it is all-consuming, yet how could I not see how it consumes me now?

[he runs his hands through his hair and grips it tight, before releasing]

Have you ever been in love, Saihara?

[truthstranger]

[the direct question startles him into honesty again]

Y-Yes, of course. With... a few different people, I think. It might be that I fall in love a bit too easily, actually.

[artisticliberty]

How did you know what it was, when it happened? How did you know to recognize it?

[truthstranger]

...

[he settles his hands on his knees and looks distant, considering, for a long moment before he answers]

...The first time, we didn't know each other that long, and I'm not sure I really knew until I lost her. It... hurt, for a lot of reasons, but I think that was one of them. I... really admired her. Trusted her. I wanted to spend time with her. When I think about what might have happened if things had gone differently... The feelings are strong enough that I think you could call it that.

The second time, it was more obvious. He helped me out, encouraged me. I wouldn't have made it through everything, I wouldn't be who I am now without him. And it's only because he's the type of person he is that he could do that. He was special. It didn't take me long to notice that. ...Mm, I also wasn't the only one who felt that way about him. So, maybe it's easier to see it reflected in other people, too.

[artisticliberty]

[oh... yusuke listens, and then reaches out to touch... shuichi's ankle. it was the closest thing, ok]

[truthstranger]

[Shuichi blinks and rubs at his eyes, focusing properly on Yusuke again]

A-Ah, I'm fine.

[artisticliberty]

Thank you for telling me. I do not know how long it would've taken me to realize without you.

[he lets go, of the ankle]

What did you do about your feelings?

[truthstranger]

...I didn't really do anything, those times. I just continued our friendship the way it was. If you want the time I did something about it, I'd have to talk about Akechi-kun.

[artisticliberty]

Please, go on.

[truthstranger]

Alright...

Akechi-kun... well, we met here, as you know, during the killing game. He was one of the first people I really talked to. Both of us weren't doing very well, at the beginning, honestly. Or, well, I'm not sure you could say we were doing well for any of it, but... anyway. It was refreshing, talking to him. When I felt like I was going crazy, it made me feel like my feelings were reasonable. I could trust him with things I didn't want to reveal to other people. And we managed to have some fun together, despite everything.

Then... when Kurusu-kun was injured, Akechi-kun opened up to me with his feelings, a bit. Talked about how few people he had that mattered to him... and some other things. Right then, I wanted to make him happy, more than anything. And... I wanted to be close to him. To show him I was there. Not leave it until it was too late.

So, um. I told him I wanted to kiss him. And... he said okay.

[artisticliberty]

[listens quietly, expression turning more pensive]

... he is fortunate to have you.

[truthstranger]

[a blink of surprise]

Ah... thank you.

[artisticliberty]

It's easy to see how someone could feel so intensely for people like you and Akira... your earnestness, your natural charm, is too powerful to ignore. Perhaps that's why I mistook my feelings for commonplace.

[he says nothing for a moment, thinking deeply]

[truthstranger]

[wait back up we're going to need to take a moment on that]

L-Like me... and...?

[artisticliberty]

Like you and Akira. Do you not see the similarities?

[truthstranger]

Not really... if anything, he reminds me a bit of Momota-kun...

[artisticliberty]

Your personalities may be different, but you both possess a way of drawing people to you, of reaching out to them and touching the core of their being.

[truthstranger]

I don't think I've touched the core of anyone's being.

[artisticliberty]

Perhaps I cannot prove it to you, but... I believe it's true, nevertheless.

[truthstranger]

Mm... well, thank you.

Akechi-kun... thinks so too, I think. That I draw people to me easily. But I don't want him to think that it's some magical quality I have... or that I don't care about him as much as he does me. I don't want anyone to think that.

[artisticliberty]

Why would he think you don't care about him?